Hi folks, I guess this may have been covered but I can’t find the thread....

I have changed the batteries in both key fobs and now neither will operate the remote central locking. Having done some web research I can’t seem to find a conclusive answer. The (generic Octavia) ) manual doesn’t shed any light , suggesting I place the key in the lock barrel and press the lock button on the remote. My car doesn’t have any lock barrels or manual locking !!!

I have tried sitting in the car with the ignition on and pressing the lock button, as suggested, to no avail.

The ‘new’ Duracell 2025 batteries fitted showed a sell by date of nearly ten years. I have thrown the old ones away unfortunately so no ‘control’.  I have ordered some more just to check the batteries are not at fault, cheap,enough.

Also, we live on the Isle of Skye and very rarely need to lock the car, so wondering if it may need recoding?

Any help gratefull received. Our nearest dealer is a two hundred mile round trip, and not advised under current climate....

Thanks

 

The locking barrel is under a plastic cover on the drivers door handle. Just prise it off.

Ok, thanks for that, found it. However, after following the handbook instructions to ‘press any button on the fob and unlock the door within one minute, has failed to make any difference.

if I turn on the ignition and then turn it off, the display tells me to ‘check Safelock, owners manual’. I have read the appropriate section but damned if I understand it !

Any pointers anybody ?

Hi R, first thing to do is make sure the red light is flashing, i spent ages trying to do mine, until i realised no red light. I looked on YouTube, and did it from that. 😊 🌨️

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply. No red light on either fob, which suggests the ‘new’ batteries are duff. That said, surely the dash screen would flash up as ‘low key fob battery’, which prompted me to change them in the first place. I have had a quick look on YouTube and followed the instructions re pressing a button on the fob and opening the car with the key, and then turning on the ignition and then off, to no effect.

the ‘Safelock’ point I mention earlier may well be just a standard notification and nothing to do with the issue....

Again, any pointers welcomed.

Okay - first point.

 

The battery and the keyfob.  Try getting a new CR2025.  Ebay have tons of them.  I use Panasonic batteries.  Also batteries do die and expectedly don't work from new.  Battery shiny side up....The process is shown here.  You might find the battery has not slotted into place properly when you replaced it.  Batteries do die and they don't alway report as low battery on the car (speak to folk who have KESSY installed on their car).

 

I fully suspect the ‘new’ batteries are duff. Pretty sure I have installed them right. Oddly I have the same issue when trying to replace r2032 batteries in weigh scales and a Thermapen that I use for beer brewing.  Despite the packaging claiming long use by dates maybe there is some skullduggery going on with EBay battery suppliers...?

maybe I might try Panasonic as opposed to Duracell....?

Ye, you've got to have a flashing red light.  

On previous posts alot of people were fitting 2032s.

 

 

 

17 hours ago, Redron said:

 

Also, we live on the Isle of Skye and very rarely need to lock the car, so wondering if it may need recoding?

 

 

 

I'd always advise locking the car - I used to have issues with battery going flat on my 2016 Scout (KESSY), it was parked in a locked garage and I didnt lock the car.  Someone mentioned that when the cars unlocked its in a stand by mode and the vehicles is waiting for something to happen.  True or not, I then started locking the car and the issue went away.

 

14 hours ago, Redron said:

I fully suspect the ‘new’ batteries are duff. Pretty sure I have installed them right. Oddly I have the same issue when trying to replace r2032 batteries in weigh scales and a Thermapen that I use for beer brewing.  Despite the packaging claiming long use by dates maybe there is some skullduggery going on with EBay battery suppliers...?

maybe I might try Panasonic as opposed to Duracell....?

 

Duracell should be fine, thats what I always use.  Whilst appreciating your location wait till your next down the shops and buy some from a real shop as opposed to an online retailer.

The other KESSY KILLER - is if you keep your keyfobs all together.  If you do that; the keyfobs tend to interfere with each other wasting battery power.  I tend to keep KESSY keys in a Faraday pouch seperately.  Problems went away (with draining batteries).

15 hours ago, Redron said:

EBay battery suppliers...?

 

I'd suggest skipping eBay and grabbing some branded versions from a reputable supplier (local supermarket?) instead.

 

Only because others have had issues with this style of battery from eBay and unlike an electric scale, your fob battery suddenly failing can be quite annoying

Just on a side point on this post. 

The first time i had problem with the battery low sign i left it too long to change it, thats when i had to go through the hassle of doing all the, press this, turn that. 

The last time the sign came up, i changed the battery straight away, within the same day. I didn't have to do any resetting after. 😊

UPDATE

So, new r2025’s ordered via EBay, no choice at the moment.... but I also blagged a couple of batteries of a spurious make from a neighbour. Installed these, and still no flashing red light on the fob, actually it did flash just the once and then refused to,after that. So, back in with my ‘new’ Duracell’s and bingo, one of the fobs now has the flashing red light and locks and unlocks the car without any recyncronising required. Go figure....? The spare fob still refuses to work. I will see what the next batch of batteries does.

i realise there may be an issue with my battery installing method, but I fail to see how you could get it wrong.

Thats good R.

Batteries, ye not rocket science. 🚀🙄

 

 

50 minutes ago, Redron said:

The spare fob still refuses to work. I will see what the next batch of batteries does.

i realise there may be an issue with my battery installing method, but I fail to see how you could get it wrong.

A couple of things come to mind.

 

1) Its really cold out there - cold is a battery killer.

2) DO NOT HANDLE THE BATTERIES WITH YOUR HANDS - this will cause a short and may kill the batteries

3) Look at the electrical connector at the side and also at the bottom.  If the connector is not fully touching the battery, it won't work.  Gentle bending of metal to get a better electrical contact.

4) If the battery wasn't inserted properly, the cover wouldn't fit.

Thank you. Useful info, especially the not touching the batteries.